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Friday, May 31, 2002

Hilliard, Hernandez named top PHS graduates

By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Friday, May 31, 2002 -- Graduation ceremonies will be held tonight
for Pecos High School seniors, with Candace Hilliard announced as the
valedictorian for the Class of 2002.

Hilliard will be one of three speakers during the commencement ceremonies,
which begin at 8 p.m. at Eagle Stadium. Those in attendance will also hear
this year's salutatorian, April Grace Hernandez, and University of Texas
at the Permian Basin president Dr. W. David Watts.

Hilliard and Hernandez are the top two of the 164 graduates ready to walk
away with their diplomas tonight.

Hilliard has finished her four years at PHS with an overall grade average
of 98 and a local GPA of 4.333.

Hilliard received many honors and awards during her four years at PHS.

She is an All American Scholar, an Outstanding Student of America, on
the National Honor Roll, a member of Who's Who Among American High School
Students, a member of the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference Ambassador
and Pecos' representative for Region 18's Outstanding GT Student of the Year.

She also received numerous PHS Outstanding Student Awards for Enhanced
Algebra II, Latin II, Latin III and AP English IV.

Hilliard participated in numerous extra-curricular activities including
the Latin Club, the PHS Band and the National Honor Society where she served
at president her senior year.

She also served as sophomore and junior class representative for the Student
Council.

She was named to the first team all district all four years of school
in golf.

Hilliard plans to study communications at Texas A&M University next
fall.

She is the daughter of Rhonda Foster of Pecos and Brady Hilliard of Denver
City and has one brother, Cole.

She is the granddaughter of H.C. and Fern Knox of Graham, and Lavois Hilliard
Cob of Denver City.

Hernandez ended her senior year with an overall grade average of 97.41
and a local GPA of 4.141.

Hernandez and her family have only lived in Pecos for three years but
within those three years she has participated in numerous activities.

She has been a member of National Honor Society for two years and the
PHS Student Council for one year.

She competed in various UIL events for two years and was on staff of the
Eagle Echo and the yearbook committee for one year each.

Hernandez also participated in One Act Play for all three years she's
been at PHS.

She will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall and
plans to major in computer science and minor in journalism.

She is the daughter of Roberto and Carina Hernandez of Pecos. She has
four brothers, Aaron, Robert, Andrew and Brian and one sister Aysha. She
is the granddaughter of Monserat Hernandez of the Philippines.

Watts, this year's guest speaker, is about to mark his one-year anniversary
as president of UTPB. He was named the university's fifth president on June
11, 2001.

Watts, a native Texan, earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and English
from UT at Austin as well as a master's degree and a Ph.D. in sociology from
the State University of New York in Buffalo, NY.

Watts, who has been named to the Wells Fargo Bank Community Board of Directors,
has worked on increasing scholarships at UTPB in order to ensure that every
student with the goal of receiving a university degree may do so.

He has written 47 publications and reported on sociological and education
issues.

Students and faculty at the high school held their graduation rehearsal
this morning at Eagle Stadium. In the event of rain tonight, commencement
ceremonies will be moved next door, to the new Pecos High School gym.

Local Cash 5 winner helps Lottery mark anniversary

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Friday, May 31, 2002 -- One lucky ticket buyer in Pecos is helping
the Texas Lottery celebrate its 10th anniversary this week
by taking home a one-third share of Thursday's $54,800 Cash 5 drawing.

Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of the first Texas Lottery
game, and the winner of the so-far unclaimed Cash 5 ticket from Thursday
will get $18,269, according to figures released today by the Texas Lottery
Commission.

Kristina Tirloni, press spokesperson for the Texas Lottery Commission
(TLC), said the winning ticket was sold at the Kwik Stop at Third and Eddy
Streets, while two other tickets that matched Thursday's Cash 5 drawing were
sold in Beaumont. "The two tickets from Beaumont already have been claimed,
but no one has claimed the ticket sold out there yet," Tirloni said the morning.

The ticket holder will have to go to one of the regional TLC offices to
claim their $18,269 prize. The nearest regional office to Pecos is in Odessa.

Thursday's winning Cash 5 numbers were 1, 6, 31, 37 and 39.

Tirloni said the ticket was the third winning one sold in the Cash 5 drawing
by a Pecos store since the game began in 1995. "One ticket was sold in March
of 1997 at Uncle's #156, which I'm told is in Pecos, and the other one was
sold in October 1998 at the Town & Country #48."

The winning ticket in 1997 was worth about $51,000, while the winner from
the 1998 drawing took home about $17,250.

The Cash 5 game was the third on-line game introduced by the Texas lottery,
which began selling scratch-off tickets with the Lone Star Millions game
on May 29, 1992. Lotto Texas was the first introduced, in November 1992,
and was followed by Pick 3 in October 1993, Cash 5 in October 1995, Texas
Million in May 1998; and Texas Two Step, which replaced the Texas Million
game in May 2001. Earlier this year the TLC added a second daily Pick 3 drawing.

"It's been an exciting ride for the Texas Lottery Commission," said Linda
Cloud, Executive Director, in new release on Wednesday. "In 10 years, we've
awarded players more than $14 billion in prizes, paid more than $48 million
in retailer bonuses, and contributed more than $9 billion to the State of
Texas."

Since its start up in November 1992, there have been 443 Lotto Texas jackpot
winning tickets, which have paid out a combined jackpot prize total of $2,584,755,756.09.1
Last year, the estimated record $85 million Lotto jackpot broke a single
day sales record with $32,134,154 worth of Lotto Texas tickets sold.

"We're not through setting new records yet," said Cloud. "We've already
began by breaking the former sales record for the popular Harley-Davidson(r)
instant game theme. One-month ticket sales for the lottery's hottest new
scratch-off have exceeded $12.5 million. That breaks the former record held
by California, which posted sales of $9 million."

Two women, one from Wink and one from Midland, have been among the motorcycle
winners in the Harley-Davidson instant game.

Anchor plant ends production today

By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Friday, May 31, 2002 -- McCain Foods is shutting down production today
at its Anchor Foods onion processing facility in Pecos, and a luncheon
is scheduled for Saturday in honor of all Anchor employees who decided
to stay after McCain announced in November it was closing the plant.

Approximately 700 employees received the news that McCain Foods planned
to shut the plant down three months after it bought the company in August
of 2001. Saturday's noon luncheon at the Reeves County Civic Center is open
to all remaining employees and those who were among the first lay-offs by
McCain earlier this year.

Plant Manager Bruce Salcido said that today is the last day of production
for the workers at the plant and over 300 of the remaining employees would
be laid off on Monday.

"We'll still have 90 employees staying for a few more weeks," he said.

Anchor Foods opened the plant in 1990 with about 200 employees and expanded
the facility to 700 workers by the time the company agreed to be bought out
by Canadian-based McCain Foods in August of 2001. On Nov. 12 of last year,
McCain announced it would close its Pecos facility and invest $10 million
toward expanding an onion processing plant the company already owned in Grand
Island, Neb.

Over 100 employees were the first to be laid off at the beginning of May.

Despite the fact that the plant is shutting down moral is high at the
plant, according to Salcido.

"People are going around with their heads up," he said. "It's hard for
everyone but people are holding it together."

Salcido explained that the lay offs would continue throughout June with
more people being laid off each Monday.

"By June 30th we will be completely out," he said.

Salcido could not comment on whether or not another company might purchase
the plant, however, earlier this month McCain officials announced negotiations
with other companies.

Bob Thomas, vice-president of McCain Foods, said that there were a couple
of parties interested in buying the facility.

However, even with the talks, he said the plant would still close.

"The possibility of the sale of the facility is still in the works," said
Thomas. "We're optimistic, we're continuing talks, trying to reach an agreement."

Thomas said that company officials remain optimistic about the sale of
the facility and hope to soon disclose something.

"We can't really say at this time, who the other company is because of
the confidentiality clause in the contract," said Thomas.

Salcido said the luncheon is one last chance for the employees of Anchor
to get together as a "family."

"It's a thank you for the employees," he said. "It's one last gathering
for all the employees to have a chance to get together."

P-B-T beginning summer school classes

PECOS, Friday, May 31, 2002 -- Summer school session for Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD students is scheduled to begin on Monday.

The classes will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., until Friday, June 28
for students K-6.

Seventh and Eighth grade students will attend classes daily according
to the time they are scheduled.

Kindergarten and bilingual kindergarten students will attend classes at
Pecos Kindergarten while migrant students in 1st through 8
th grades will meet at Crockett Middle School.